Game wheel



Jan. 16, 1940. Q MCLEAN 2,187,046

GAME WHEEL Filed A ril 25, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. @M' am fw.

. uw. 592w,

ATTORNEY.

' GAME WHEEL Filed April 25 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVEN OR.

, ATTORNEY.

Patented Jan. 16,1940

UNiTED er GAME WHEEL Daniel O..McLean, San Francisco, Calif., assignor vto Ten-O-Win Amusement Company,

San

Francisco, Calif., a corporation of California Appiication April 25,1938, Serial No. 204,121

4 Claims. (or. 273-444.

' The present invention relates to game wheels,

and particularly to a wheel to be used in making a selection in a gameinvolving the element of chance. p

Patent No. 2,077,124, issued April 13, 1937, to Arthur M. Miller andDaniel 0. McLean for Game'apparatus discloses a device designed forselecting winners of so-called door prizes. The

7 said device includes a plurality of rotatable disks m or the likewhich, upon being rotated and coming to rest, eifect a random selectionfrom a great number of potential winning chances. The game wheel of thepresent invention is intended for use either in combination with such adevice or 15 by itself. When used in such a combination, the

wheel may be mounted coaXially with the rotatable disks and may beemployed to increase the number of prospective winners from which theselection is being made. This is a valuable asset 20 in cases whereprizes are being awarded by theaters, andparticularly in cases where agroup or chain of theaters are combined in the issuance of commonprizes, and the number of chances to be selected from runs intothousands.

26 When used by itself, the gaming wheel of this invention may bemounted for rotation on an individual support. The invention will bedescribed herein in the latter form, although it is not intended that itbe limited to the particular form in 30 which his described.

It is the object of the present invention to provide a device for makinga random selection from a large number of chances in a novel andinteresting manner. 35 A further object of the invention is to provide adevice in which the number to be selected from may be readily varied.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a device havingmeans for containing a do plurality of balls or like articlesrepresenting chances, the device being operable to eject at'random oneof said balls, the balls being suitably marked so that the ejected ballwill represent the winning. chance. it; One form of the invention isillustrated in the accompanying drawings and described in detail in thefollowing specification wherein further objects and advantages thereofare made apparent. In the drawing [76' Fig. l isa front elevation withparts shown in section ofa game wheel embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse section of the wheel illustrated in Fig.l, but-disposed in a dif- 55 ferentposition;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary viewshowing a portion of the wheel in rearelevation; and

Fig-4 is a view similar to Fig. 3, illustrating adiiierent position ofthe operating mechan sm disclosed. 5

. Referring to thedrawings in detail, the game wheel of thepresentinvention is illustrated as comprising a rotatable wheel or cagegenerally indicated at Ill. The cage ill consists principally I of adislr-shaped back II, preferably of wood or other solid materialsupporting a forwardly extending peripheral flange l2 to which issecured a transparent front I3, preferably in the form of wire mesh. Thecage I0 is provided witha rearwardly extending hearing it to support thecage It in a vertical position for rotation on a horizontally extendingaxle i5, which axle may in turn be suitably supported by a vertical post16 rising from a base member IT. A nut I8 retains the cage againstendwise displacement on the axle i5, ,2 and a ring l9 secured to theforward edge ofthe flange .i'2 by means of screws 20 retains'the'mesh itin place, but permits its removal for access to the nut l8.

. The cage H], as described above, is adapted to Hollow contain aplurality of small light balls. Celluloid balls such as ordinarily usedin the game of ping pong have been found satisfactoryfor this purpose,and the size and type of ball used may be varied according to the sizeof the cage and the particular use to which the same is to be put. Adoor is provided for admitting the balls-to the interior of the cage,and a trap is provided for singling out one of the balls containedthereby and ejecting it into suitable means for catching the ball, such,for example, as a net positioned below the'cage, asillustrated at 2|.

A door for admitting balls to the interior of the cage is illustrated at22 in Fig. 1, and is preferably in the form of a section of theperipheral -9 I flange l2, hinged as at 23 so that it may be swung to anopen position and normally retainedin its closed position by a latchwhich may be in the form of a turn-button 24. When it is desired to loadthe cage with the proper number and kind of balls fora particulardrawing or selection of a winner, it is rotated until the door 22 isdisposed at .thetop, the door being then opened andthe balls droppedthrough it. The trap for selecting and ejecting a single ball comprisesan L-shaped 5'0" door consisting of an outer panel 25 and an inner panel26 fixed to a pin 21. This pin is pivotally mounted. in a manner topermit the panels to swing from the closed position shown in Fig, 3.

where the outer panel 25 closes an opening 28 in the periphery of thecage to the open position illustrated in Fig. 4 where the inner panel 26closes said opening.

A crank 30 is fixed to the rear end of the pin 21 and is connected by alink 3| to a slide bolt 32. The slide bolt 32 is reciprocally mounted ina guide 33 fixed to the back of the cage and is normally urged to itsadvanced position illustrated in Fig. 4 by a spring 34. The slide bolt32 is latched in its advanced position by a pin 35 (see Fig. 2) whichprojects through the mesh front and terminates in a knob 36 provided formanual actuation thereof. The pin 35 is supported in a bracket 31secured to the forward face of the back H and a spring 38 interposedbetween the bracket, and a suitable collar on the pin 35 normally urgesthe pin rearwardly or toward the slide bolt 32. When the slide bolt isin its advanced position, the pin 35 registers with and projects into asuitable hole provided in the slide bolt for the purpose of latching itin its advanced position. The slide bolt 32 may be retracted by pullingupon its inner end, and in order to provide for its retraction andautomatic release at a proper time, it is fitted with a snap 40 or othersuitable means for connecting it to an elastic band 4|, the other end ofwhich is secured to a ring 42 on the base I1. Surrounding the bearing l4and concentric with the rotatable cage I0 is a spool 43, the function ofwhich will presently be described.

Prior to operation of the game wheel, its normal position is thatillustrated in Fig. 1, it being assumed that it has been loaded with theproper number of balls. In this position the trap is disposed upwardlyand is retained in its closed position by the elastic band which isunder tension by reason of its connection with the ring 42 on the base,and which passes to one side of the spool 43. At this point the pin 35has been withdrawn to permit closing of the trap by the tension of theelastic band. The cage is then rotated in a counter-clockwise direction,as viewed in Fig. 1, with the result that the elastic band is woundaround the spool 43 as illustrated in Fig. 2, so that the tension ofthis band-retains the trap in its closed position through the medium ofthe slide bolt 32, link 3! and crank 30. This rotation is preferablyeffected by an operator who gives the cage a spin by gripping it withhis hand, at its edge, and pulling upon it, and the rotation should besufficiently forceful to cause the elastic band to be wound from one tothree times around the spool 43.

An angular plate 45 secured to the inner periphery of the cage isdisposed behind and around the inner end of the plate 26 which forms apart of the trap, and upon rotation of the cage in a counter-clockwisedirection, this plate, together with the general friction caused byrotation of the wheel, will agitate the balls contained therein, causingthem to tumble and fall within the cage in a manner that insures arandom selection and in a manner which demands attention, particularlywhere balls of various colors are used.

When the wheel has thus rotated to the limit permitted by the elasticityof the band, it comes to rest and then, due to the tension of the band,rotates in the opposite direction until the band is completely unwoundfrom the spool 43. Until the band is unwound from the spool, a tensionis retained on the slide bolt 32 sufiicient to maintain the trap inclosed position. During the unwinding movement which, as before stated,is clockwise, one of the balls contained in the cage is caught in thetrap and retained therein by the plate 45. The plate 45 is desirable,but not necessary to insure a single balls being retained and ejected bythe trap. When the clockwise movement results in the complete unwindingof the elastic band 4|, the band leaves the spool 43 and becomes slackas the trap approaches the bottom of the wheel. Upon slacking of thetension of this band, the spring 34 advances the slide bolt 32 to theposition illustrated in Fig. 4 so that a ball, such as illustrated at 45in Fig. 4, which has been selected by the trap, is ejected and fallsinto the net 2! from which it may be picked up and identified. It is tobe understood that the balls may be of various colors and may besuitably numbered or named to correspond to chances or groups ofchances, or that they may bear any other desired indicia.

The space between the front and back walls of the cage, as illustratedherein, is slightly larger than the diameter of a ball, and as thedevice will operate successfully when more than half full of balls, alarge number of balls may be accommodated. However, where an evengreater number of balls is desired, this space may be enlarged to thediameter of two or more balls so that the capacity of the cage ispractically unlimited.

The operation of the device as above described presents an interestingand attention-demanding spectacle. The rapid movement of the ballsduring rotation of the cage produces an arresting sound and akaleidoscopic cascade visible to all spectators. The color and otheridentifying means applied to the balls is capable of almost unlimitedvariation, and the number of balls used may also be varied toaccommodate different conditions.

The invention is not intended to be limited to the specific form shownherein and it is adapted to be used in many ways and for many differenttypes of games involving the selection of one or more of a large numberof chances or the like.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent is- 1. In a game wheel, a rotatable container for ballsrepresenting chances, means for selecting and ejecting a ball therefrom,means resiliently resisting rotation of the container in one directionwhereby upon being rotated in that direction it will come to rest andthen rotate in the opposite direction, and means for operating theselecting and ejecting mechanism during operation in said oppositedirection.

2. A game wheel comprising a cylindrical container for ballsrepresenting chances, means supporting said container for rotation, atrap door arranged in the periphery of said container and adapted in itsclosed position to trap a ball within the container and upon beingopened to eject said ball, means normally urging the trap door to itsopen position, an elastic band interposed between the trap door and thecontainersupporting means and retaining the trap door closed when it isunder tension, and means rotatable with the container to engage andtension the said elastic band upon rotation of the container in onedirection and to release said tension and permit opening of the doorupon rotation in the opposite direction.

3. In a game wheel, a rotatable container for ball-like members, meansfor resiliently resisting rotation of said container in one directionfor stopping such rotation and for causing it to rotate in the oppositedirection, and means to eject one of said ball-like members from saidcontainer during rotation in said opposite direction.

4. In a game whee1,;a rotatable container for 1 ball-like members, meanson said container for thereof, and means whereby rotation ofthe'oontainer in one direction will tension said resilient meansto stopthe container and rotate it in the opposite direction, and means wherebythe tension will be reduced upon such opposite rotation 5 and theejecting means will-operate.

' -DANIEL O. MCLEAN.

